


Woodworking 101

by luckyguess



Category: Dr. STONE (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Eventual Happy Ending, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Light Angst, M/M, Multi, Mutual Pining, Not Beta Read, Slow Burn, wholesome very wholesome
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:14:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28833252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luckyguess/pseuds/luckyguess
Summary: Celebrity mentalist and extremely delayed college student Asagiri Gen joins a woodworking class and meets an especially handsome scientist.
Relationships: Asagiri Gen/Ishigami Senkuu, Chrome/Ruri (Dr. STONE), Ogawa Yuzuriha/Ooki Taiju, mostly sengen
Comments: 18
Kudos: 88





	1. Challenge accepted!

Gen walked through the gates of the university campus he was all-too familiar with. He sighed as he tried not to count how many years he had left – he should’ve graduated by now, but his demanding job as a celebrity mentalist-slash-magician left him only able to take a couple of classes a year.

_Oh well_ , he thought, _it’ll be worth it once I get my degree. I wonder what other jobs I could take on as a psychology graduate…_

He hadn’t realized he had been walking straight into a wall until he bumped into it. He rubbed his head, irritated, until he set his eyes on a particularly attractive-looking face -- with some questionable-looking hair.

Gen stifled a chuckle as he scanned the document. It was a poster detailing the freshmen who got the top 3 scores in the entrance exam.

_Impressive_ , Gen looked over the information that was written out beside the picture that initially caught his eye, _attractive AND intelligent? How is that fair?_

He continued reading: _Ishigami Senku, Bachelor of Science in Astrophysics, has achieved the highest score to date on the entrance exams, multiple-time award winner in various scientific competitions…_

He stopped at a sentence he was reading, mouth agape with shock.

_Not only is he the top 1 freshman in the entire school, with the highest score the university has seen, but he’s majoring in Astrophysics, too?! Amazing… This guy is amazing!_

Gen stood there silently for a moment, thinking about how amazing Ishigami Senku was and being grateful for how nobody was around to bother him while he did so.

Wait, nobody is around…

_Ah, shit,_ Gen bolted towards the building he had to be at for his next class, _I’m late!_

_______________________________________________________________________

Gen slowed down once he reached the door of the classroom for his woodworking class with Professor Kaseki. He needed some kind of art-related elective, and he had decided on woodworking because he thought it wouldn’t be as crowded. He’d finally get some peace from the whispers and stares he got in his other classes.

Not that he minded, especially when they were fans. But being under the watchful eye of the people who basically built his career and, not to mention, looked up to him? Aside from lighting a fire under his ass to work harder than he otherwise would’ve, it prevented him from making genuine friends as he had to put up a façade of being the perfect guy, a perfect celebrity. So, the lesser the people who knew him, the better.

Although, that still didn’t stop the stares when he finally entered the classroom. While there were definitely fewer people than in his other classes, the general reaction was still the same. Gen sat in an empty spot, next to a blonde girl in a long dress… _is she foreign?_ Gen wondered as she turned around to face him.

“Hi! I’m really sorry if you find this weird, but I’m a big fan of your show! I’ve watched almost every single one, and I’ve read your book, too!” She has a pleasant voice. Gen could feel that she kept her distance from him in order not to make him uncomfortable, which he appreciated.

“It’s alright, I’m quite used to it now. What’s your name, dear?” Gen smiled. Even if the fans weren’t as pleasant as she was, Gen was required to always act graciously towards them. It was his obligation as a public figure.

“You can call me Ruri! I’m already friends with a lot of the people in this class, so I could introduce you to them if you want! She’s my sister, Kohaku!” Ruri pointed at the girl seated beside her, who waved and uttered a single, “yo.”

“That guy over there is Kinro, and next to him is Ginro, his brother,” Ruri continued. She blushed ever-so-slightly as she pointed to the next person, “and over there’s Chrome, who’s right next to—”

Gen held in his gasp. He didn’t need Ruri to tell him his name as he had already known from seeing the back of his vegetable-shaped hair. In the third row, aisle seat, was the university’s very own Ishigami Senku.

Gen smiled at Ruri and said, “They all look like very interesting people. I’d love to get to know you and the rest of your friends, Ruri-chan.”

“Really? Then I’ll introduce them to you later! Kaseki-sensei’s quite old, so he’s notorious for letting his classes take a lot of breaks…”

“He’s also notorious for his beast bod,” Kohaku chimes in.

“Kohaku!”

“What? Rumor has it his clothes rip apart when he gets really excited, then you’ll see, Asagiri-san.”

“That really is interesting!” Gen chirps.

As if on cue, a seemingly-decrepit old man walked in and introduced himself as Professor Kaseki. He immediately told everyone to work on whatever they want, as long as it was made out of wood, and pointed to the piles of wooden blocks around the room.

“I told you, this class is really laid-back!” Ruri whispers to Gen as she picks up a wooden block and some carving tools.

“I guess you’re right, but he doesn’t seem like the muscular type to me,” Gen says as he does the same as Ruri.

“Wanna bet on it? Loser buys the winner lunch for a week,” Kohaku challenges Gen with a grin.

“Deal.”

Gen suddenly feels the pressure to do well as he holds the carving tools in his hands. He decides to carve a rabbit out of his wooden block, but he soon regrets it when he realizes how difficult it is to carve a round object. The second time he accidentally breaks its’ ear off and the third time he almost stabs himself with the chiseling knife, he curses.

“Are you alright?” Ruri is concerned. Crap, this is kind of embarrassing.

“No worries, dear Ruri-chan!” Gen says in an apologetic tone, “I’m sorry, you probably didn’t expect me to be this much of a klutz, did you?”

“I didn’t,” Ruri confesses, “but at the same time, I don’t really mind! It’s not like I expected you to be good at everything.” She looked at her own project, an endearingly lopsided cup, “you know, that reminds me of something one of our friends told me… He said that everyone’s strengths are needed, in spite of their own limitations. Needing and working with other people is necessary for progress!” She smiled, “or something like that. Don’t you agree, Asagiri-san?”

Gen smiled back at her, a sincere one that reached his eyes. “Yeah, I think I do. Call me Gen, Ruri-chan.”

“Alright, Gen!”

“What’s this? First-name basis already?” Kohaku raised her eyebrows at them.

“Don’t be jealous, Kohaku-chan, you can call me by my first name, too. Now then,” he placed his carving tools on the table and stretched his arms out. “I’d kill for a break. What were you saying about introducing me to your friends? I’d love to meet them.”

Gen would be lying if he said he wasn’t hoping one of those friends would be Senku, but keeping that a secret wouldn’t be considered lying, would it? Regardless, Ruri and Kohaku replied with a simultaneous “sure!”

Unfortunately, they first go over to Kinro and Ginro instead of Senku’s table, which Gen notes with disappointment. Kinro is carving a perfect cube, while Ginro is… well, Gen couldn’t tell what it was exactly. A weird-looking rock, maybe? Or a snake? Or…

“Wait, is that a penis?” Kohaku snorts, Ruri stifles a giggle, and Gen clamps his hand over his mouth to keep him from laughing. Kinro shoots a look at Ginro as he stifles his own laughter.

“You told me that was a tree!”

“Lighten up, Kinro! Kaseki-sensei told us we could do whatever we want!”

“Still, that is much too lewd, in _school_ , no less. You have to remember, rules—”

“—are rules.” The rest of them (aside from Gen) groan in unison. Gen suddenly feels as though he understands their personalities perfectly.

The trio leaves the two brothers to bicker over Ginro’s phallic sculpture as they — _finally!_ — move on to Chrome and Senku’s table.

Apart from his ever-increasing curiosity about what kind of person Senku is, Gen also noticed their professor repeatedly coming back to their table to help them with an excited glint in his eyes, and he was hoping to find out what exactly had piqued their professor’s interest.

“Hi, Chrome,” Ruri said in a quiet voice. Gen wasn’t sure Chrome had even heard it until he whipped around out of his chair to face her.

“Hey, Ruri. What are you guys doing here?” He nodded at Kohaku, then looked at Gen in silent awe.

“We wanted to introduce you to Gen! He sat by me and we wanted to let him get to know the whole group!”

“Yabe! Nice to meet you, Asagiri Gen-san, right? I’ve watched your shows! Insane! They’re really cool!” Chrome had grabbed Gen’s hands and was shaking them up and down. Gen laughed at his excitement, flattered by the good reception.

“Thank you, that’s really kind of you—” Gen starts, but he’s interrupted by a low, lackadaisical voice.

“Any man who compliments another guy to his face is either gay or wants something,” Ishigami Senku says in an irritated tone. _The first thing he’s ever said to me,_ Gen notes, stunned. _Well, technically, he’s saying it to Chrome._

“Senku, what are you talking about?! You know I’m not gay,” Chrome glances at Ruri when he says this, and Gen picks up on this. _Ah, I see how it is,_ he notes.

“And I don’t want anything from Asagiri Gen-san,” Chrome continues, “except maybe an autograph? Although I don’t have anything he could write on with me, except my math homework, and I don’t think _sensei_ would appreciate that… I know! He can sign our waterwheel!” Chrome motions towards their wooden sculpture as he says this.

_Wait, is that even a sculpture? What the heck is that thing?!_ Gen can’t hold in his curiosity any longer, so he asks, “What exactly are you two sculpting?”

Senku grins, “this is part one of our self-imposed project for the rest of the semester. We’re planning on using this waterwheel as the generator to make a cotton candy machine entirely out of wood.”

Senku’s words float around Gen’s brain. While he (kind of) understands what Senku just said, he has no idea why or how they planned on doing such a thing, in such a laid-back class, too? Wouldn’t someone in such a difficult major want a well-deserved break from using his brain at full capacity?

_I guess that’s a scientist for you_ , Gen sighs. He realizes he did that out loud when Senku’s smile falters, and Gen says, “that’s…really cool. I hope I could try some of your cotton candy when it’s finished.”

Senku frowns and goes back to working on his waterwheel. “Yeah,” he says, abrupt and monotone. The others stare at Senku.

The entire thing is making everyone uncomfortable, so Chrome waves them off, “ah, well, let’s all hang out later! We could grab lunch outside of campus… you too, Asagiri-san!”

“All right! See you later, then!” Kohaku starts towards their table.

“Gen, you’re coming, right?” Ruri asks him excitedly.

“Ah, well, I don’t know, I don’t want to impose…”

“You really should! I think the whole group’s warmed up to you already… it’d be nice to get to know you more!” Chrome and Ruri ramble on and on, trying to convince Gen, who finally relents.

“Alright, then. I’d be happy to. And, Chrome-chan,” Chrome shifts at the sudden nickname, “just Gen is fine.” Gen smiles as he waves them off, “see you.”

As soon as they’re seated back at their table, Gen turns to Ruri.

“Senku-chan isn’t much of a talker, is he?” Gen asks her, silently praying she agrees.

“Actually… I’m really sorry about him, he’s usually a lot friendlier than that. I’m sure he’s just stressed out or something, it’s not like you’ve done anything wrong! You’ll get to know him better later at lunch.” Ruri is trying her best to comfort Gen, and he opts to smile and nod instead of saying anything else.

Ruri continues, “Senku is a really great guy, you’ll see! He used to accompany me when I was in hospital—”

“In hospital?” Gen repeats in bewilderment.

“Yeah, I used to get sick a lot as a kid. I had frequent bouts of pneumonia, but Senku would come over with Kohaku and Chrome all the time and talk to me about the different branches of science!” She laughed, “what a weird kid. Can you imagine, a preschooler, immensely interested in building rocket ships and learning about the chemical structures of household items?”

_How adorable_ , Gen wanted to pout, but he smiled instead.

“He’s part of the reason why I’m studying to be a doctor now,” Ruri recalls this with a gentle look on her face. “We would even watch your show while he was there! Well, he would put on a big show of not watching it with us, claiming he was more interested in ‘hard’ sciences…”

_Oh,_ Gen thought, miserably, _he DOES know me, he probably just doesn’t respect me because of my work_.

“But, between you and me,” she whispers at him, a small smile on her face, “I’ve caught him reading your book a bunch of times when he thought I was asleep.”

Before Gen could process this, professor Kaseki suddenly bellows out, laughing hysterically. The entire class turns to the source of the sound, the sink along with Chrome and Senku. The waterwheel is under the tap, turning and working perfectly. In his excitement, Kaseki stretches and his clothes tear off, revealing his six-pack abs and huge biceps. Gen stares in shock and utter disbelief

“You owe me lunch for a week,” Kohaku whispers, smug.

“Alright,” Gen admits defeat, “a deal’s a deal.”

_But that means I could spend a week with Senku’s friends, and maybe even with him,_ Gen thought. _That’s right! What am I moping around for? I’m a mentalist—getting people to like me is my specialty!_

Gen looks at Senku, who’s grinning as he looks at his successful waterwheel while Chrome hollers behind him.

_Time to put my skills to some good use!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry not a lot went on between senku and gen in this chapter i promise the other chapters will have more sengen interactions >_< also sorry if anyone who actually knows how to build a cotton candy machine/understands woodworking is reading this and cringing. please spare me i really dont have any idea how woodworking works!
> 
> this is my first fic ever hehe pls be nice to me @_@ I'll most probably complete this but it'll largely depend on whether anyone cares enough to read it ;v; so please let me know what you think!


	2. Stupid High School Crush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Senku's POV!

Senku trudges along the path to the fast food restaurant his friends are meeting up at, kicking the tiny rocks in his way. He tries to think of his homework, his projects, or _anything else_ other than the fact that he was about to see his embarrassing high school celebrity crush for the second time today.

It’s not that liking Gen himself was embarrassing. It’s just that Senku liked to present himself as someone who didn’t think of those kinds of things, as someone whose one true love is science. And he really did think that was how things were, as he had never had a crush from birth up until he was in high school.

“Romance just isn’t for me,” he’d tell the ever-romantic Taiju, who would pester him about whether he was interested in anybody. “The only thing on my mind is science.”

At least, that was the case, until Senku turned on the TV for background noise as he worked on his projects. Then, he saw him: Asagiri Gen, the mentalist.

Senku had chalked up the young celebrity to just be a simple magician. Nobody important, at least to him. But then he found himself transfixed at the television screen, watching as the handsome man he thought to be a glorified con artist mesmerized the audience with his psychological knowledge and irresistible personality.

_His voice is as light as a feather…_ Senku could remember Kohaku’s words about the mentalist. Yeah, his voice really is light. And so pleasant to listen to…

_Wait, what am I saying? Handsome? Pleasant voice?_ Senku turned off the TV.

_This is just distracting me. I don’t need to get myself worked up over him._

Little did Senku know, he had already fallen prey to the mentalist’s charms.

Present-day Senku kicked another rock.

_It wasn’t supposed to matter,_ he thought, bitterly, _since he’s a celebrity and I thought I’d never have to see him. A stupid celebrity crush that should’ve stayed as a celebrity crush._

Unfortunately, fate had other plans for him, as Asagiri Gen was not only _here in the flesh,_ but hanging out with his friends, and in turn, with Senku himself.

He had decided then and there, as Gen had sat down next to Ruri that day in Kaseki’s class, that he would avoid interacting with Gen at all costs. This would be the surefire way to get over his crush. Senku sighed. It’s not like someone as popular as Gen would be interested in him anyway, right? This shouldn’t be too hard. But his friends were making this a little difficult for him, inviting him to lunch and all. Senku could feel his plans dissolving along with the façade he had been putting up, the little voice in the back of his brain going _oh my god I’m going to lunch with Asagiri Gen I’m gonna see him and his handsome face and hear his voice and—_

This little voice popped out of existence as soon as Senku’s phone started ringing. It’s Chrome.

“ _Dude! Where are you? Didn’t your class end an hour ago? How are you the last one here?”_ Senku’s roommate and fellow scientist-in-training whispered frantically into the phone.

“Uhh… maybe I won’t come after all.”

“ _What are you talking about? You haven’t even eaten breakfast today, and everyone’s already here! Just hurry up already!”_

Senku sighed as he hung up. No choice now.

When he walked through the doors he immediately spotted his friends waving him over from their seats. They had combined two tables in order to accommodate everyone, now including Taiju and Yuzuriha, Tsukasa, and…

Senku straightened his posture and prayed to whatever gods were up there that the blush he felt wasn’t showing on his face.

Kohaku waved him over to sit in front of her, the only seat available being right next to…

_Of course._

“Senku! Get whatever you want, Gen’s paying,” Kohaku told him.

“What?! I only agreed to pay for you!” Gen sputtered, “…but, I don’t mind paying for yours, _Senku-chan_.”

Senku perked up at the pet name. He could get used to this. Nah, he shouldn’t. Eyes on the prize.

“Don’t worry about it, I can pay for myself.”

Senku got up and ordered food, and when he came back to the table with his tray, he felt as though he had interrupted something.

“What were you talking about?” He asked Kohaku and Gen as he bit into his burger.

“Ah—well…” Kohaku stammered.

“We were just talking about your project, Senku-chan,” Gen said, coolly. Voice light and breezy, as usual. “Wouldn’t it be dangerous to make a cotton candy machine out of wood? Wouldn’t the friction from the speed be able to start a fire?”

Senku was surprised that Gen had actually been thinking about his project. _Plus,_ Senku thought, _even if I’m talking to Gen, as long as it’s about science, it should be fine, right?_

“Nope. Even though it’s a pretty primitive set-up, we’re using a non-flammable coating on the moving parts in order to avoid that. Aside from that, we’re using a metal rod for the center that touches the gears and the plate where the sugar will pass through, so it won’t entirely be made out of wood,” Senku explained. “Just mostly wood. After all, it’s not about the materials we’re using to make it. It’s about getting to eat cotton candy in class,” Senku grinned as he said this, already thinking about his friends and classmates and their professor eating Senku’s own cotton candy.

Gen laughed softly, “and here I thought you were doing it for the science of it. Turns out even scientists want a break sometimes. I imagine a project of this scale must be easy for you.”

“Well, I guess the science is part of it. But of course, it’d be nice to cut some corners where you can. After all, everything we have right now is pretty much just the improved versions of the things our predecessors created. We just build upon knowledge in order to create new things. I can’t imagine doing something even this small without some help. Much less doing something like going to the moon…” Senku realized he had been rambling on for some time now. How embarrassing, and right in front of Gen, too.

But if Gen thought it was cringy, he didn’t point it out.

“Do you want to be an astronaut?”

“Yeah… I do.”

“Do you enjoy astrophysics?”

Senku froze, “how did you know that was my major? Or was that a guess?”

“I saw the poster for the top three scorers on the entrance exam.” Gen smirked, “your cute picture caught my eye, Senku-chan~”

Senku flushed bright red and promptly stood up. Gen tried to stop him, but he announced he was leaving, said a quick goodbye to his friends, and started towards his dorm with Chrome on his heels.

“Sorry, just remembered the _insaaane_ amount of homework we have to do! See you all tomorrow!” Chrome called out as he turned around to walk with Senku, side-by-side.

“What was that all about?” Chrome asked once he had caught up to him. Senku knew that he was being weird, but he couldn’t help it. If he had stayed any longer, people would’ve started to notice his massive crush on Gen.

_Is he this flirty with everyone?_ Senku was spiraling more and more as his mind raced at ten billion miles per hour, _he must have a lot of experience… stop it! Stop thinking about Asagiri Gen’s dating life! Stop thinking about Asagiri Gen at all!_

Senku swallowed and walked even faster to match his rapidly beating heart.

_I can’t believe I’m getting torn up over some stupid childhood crush. I’m in college now, not to mention on the path towards my lifelong goals. Can I really afford a distraction right now? Why do I still like this guy?_

Senku combed his hand through his hair, realization dawning on him.

_Why does talking to him make me like him even more?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> writing a fanfic is really therapeutic. i recommend it to anyone who comes across this message 👍🏼 i need more sengen fics in the world pls


	3. Stuck On You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gen decides to sit next to Senku in class. What could go wrong?
> 
> (gen pov!)

_Well, that didn’t turn out as I had hoped._

The mentalist was walking towards his woodworking class once again, feeling a mixture of nervousness and excitement in his stomach. While he wanted to see Senku again, he was a little nervous now because of what happened the last time they were together.

Gen furrowed his brows. _I was probably coming on too strong with that one. Who calls a guy they just met “cute”? But, it's fine! I can just apologize for what happened and we can start on a clean slate!_

Although, Gen realized his tactic had worked before Senku had left. A mentalist trick for a surefire way to get someone to like you: always sit beside them rather than sitting across from them as this will create an atmosphere of camaraderie between you. Appearing as a unit or a team rather than opposing each other.

_I could take it a step further and sit beside him in class today!_ Gen had already decided on his next course of action when he had entered the classroom, then he suddenly remembered there was an obstacle at play regarding his plan. This particular obstacle’s name was Chrome.

Luckily, it seemed as though Senku was late for class, so this was an apt time for Gen to ~~manipulate~~ _influence_ Chrome into doing his bidding.

“Hi, Chrome-chan~”

Chrome turned around in his seat, slightly surprised to see him, “Oh, hey Gen. What brings you here?”

Gen did his best to let his lie slip through his teeth as smoothly as possible, “Ruri-chan was just telling me about how it would be great to have someone at their table who knew what they were doing since all three of us are completely hopeless when it comes to carving! So, I thought to switch things up a bit today so that there’d be an equal number of geniuses at both of our tables.” Gen winked at Chrome as he said this.

Chrome processed this for a moment. “Oh! So, you’ve come here to work with me, so that Senku would sit over there with Ruri?”

_Is this guy for real? I’m giving him an opportunity here!_

Gen laughed, hoping to mask his inner thoughts.

“While that’d be _wonderful_ , don’t you think it would be a better idea if you went over to Ruri-chan’s table? After all, I’ve seen the way you two look at each other, don’t you think now is the prime time to spend some time with her, maybe _make a move?”_

Chrome stared blankly at him, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

_Is this denial, or is he just an idiot?_

“Don’t play dumb, Chrome-chan! I’m sure you have feelings for dear Ruri-chan, don’t you? It’s written all over your face!”

“Wait, really?!”

Chrome pulled out his phone and looked into it intently. Gen had no idea what he was doing until he put it down and saw the front-facing camera app was open.

“Gen, you liar! There’s nothing written on my face!”

Gen wanted to go feral at that moment, but he suppressed his frustration and sighed deeply. He decided going with the truth would be the more painless option.

“Never mind that. Actually, Chrome-chan, I was just hoping to sit next to Senku to get on his good side. I have a feeling I’ve upset him or something, and I just wanted to get closer to him somehow.”

“Why didn’t you say so? Sit in my seat, then!” Chrome graciously took out his things and waved as he started off towards Ruri and Kohaku’s table.

“Good luck! I’m sure he doesn’t hate you, he’ll warm up eventually!”

“Thanks, Chrome-chan.”

A few minutes later, Senku walked in, disheveled and haggard. He stumbled into his desk, rubbing his eyes, not taking any notice in the change of seatmate.

“Thanks for lending me your toolkit, Chrome, I was on a roll last night and just couldn’t stop—”

“Couldn’t stop what, Senku-chan? Those eyebags look nasty!”

Gen was slightly surprised to see Senku jump at his voice. _Huh, I guess he's really out of it._

“Where’s Chrome?” Senku stared at Gen, with a look that Gen hoped was just surprise and not annoyance.

“Kicking me out so soon? Chrome-chan’s over there, beside Ruri-chan.” Gen pointed to where Chrome was at, who was chatting with the two sisters

Senku mumbled under his breath, which made Gen whip around to face him.

“What was that?”

“Nothing. Can’t say I didn’t expect this, not when those two have been in love with each other since they were kids.” Senku picked at his ear with his pinky finger.

“Oh yeah, Ruri-chan might have mentioned that you visited her in the hospital as a kid. Childhood friends?”

“Chrome, yeah. Ruri and Kohaku, though, are more like…step-cousins? They’re the nieces of my stepmom, Lillian Weinberg.”

“Lillian Weinberg? The singer?”

Senku nodded.

“LILLIAN WEINBERG IS YOUR STEPMOM?!”

“Keep it down, you damn mentalist! Why are you acting like a fangirl? Aren’t you a celebrity?”

“That’s completely different! Lillian Weinberg is a WORLDWIDE PHENOMENON! Please let me meet her! Or at the very least, let me have her autograph!”

_This makes much more sense!_ Gen thought, _this is probably why he didn’t react when I came here that first day. He’s probably used to seeing celebrities around already._

Gen kept on pestering Senku, who put on a look of irritation but Gen caught him smile a few times. This continued until Professor Kaseki walked in.

“Alright class,” he bellowed, “your final project is coming up, and I’m gonna have you work in teams of 2-3 people. Luckily for you, your project partners will be the people you’re seated with right now!”

Gen went still. _Whoops. Wasn’t expecting that. But, wouldn’t it be great to spend some more time with him?_

He felt Senku tense beside him. _Oh. He probably doesn’t think that way._

Professor Kaseki continued with his instructions as Gen mulled over what to say, not listening. He cleared his throat.

“Sorry, I guess I picked the wrong time to change up the seating arrangement, huh? You probably would’ve fared better with Chrome-chan, I’m quite useless at woodworking!” Gen tried to let out a laugh that didn’t sound as nervous as he felt. He looked at the table in front of him.

_He’s probably annoyed that he’s stuck with me._

“It’s not a problem. But don’t expect me to go easy on you just ‘cause you’re not good at this.”

Gen turned his head towards Senku, who was already wearing his best shit-eating grin.

“You probably already know what I had in mind for the rest of the semester, so since Kaseki’s still letting us do whatever we want for the final we might as well use the cotton candy machine for it. We could start on the main piece of the machine today, where sugar will pass through and where the strands will come out. I know you probably aren’t used to being this precise with carving but I’ll help you through it, so you don’t have to worry.”

Gen continued to stare at Senku, who blinked at him incredulously. “Um… did you get that? Asagiri Gen?”

“You aren’t mad?”

“Mad?” Senku asked, in complete and utter confusion. “Why would I be mad? Not like I get mad, anyway.”

_He doesn’t hate me!_ Gen wanted to jump for joy until he remembered that Senku was planning on working him to the bone.

“Never mind, I just thought you were some kind of mad scientist. Turns out I was right if you plan on making a cutie like me do something so difficult!”

“Well, you’re stuck with me, so get up and pick up some wooden blocks with me.”

Senku got up from his chair, and Gen smiled.

“You’re lucky I don’t mind being stuck with you, Senku-chan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wah i saw the little chibi sengen figures that are going on sale in june... i want them so bad i am going insane


	4. Lunch Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Senku goes to lunch with his friends. Or maybe just his friend.
> 
> (senku pov)

Senku found himself walking to the fast food joint he usually ate at with his friends once again, but this time he was feeling a lot calmer than he did before. Instead of kicking rocks, he kept moving forward with his hands in his pockets and even started _whistling_ at one point.

His sudden change in demeanor compared to the last time he was walking this path was due to his newfound civility with Asagiri Gen.

_I could even say we’re friends._ Senku brushed his hair out of his face, _I don’t get as nervous when I talk to him anymore. I feel completely comfortable around him now. Maybe my dumb crush is finally dissolving._

Senku felt his stomach do cartwheels when he reached the glass doors of the restaurant.

_That’s weird. I guess I'm a lot hungrier than I thought I was._

He looked around for his friends at their usual connected tables but was surprised to find only Gen waving him over from a small table.

“Where’s everyone?” Senku walked over and sat down across from him.

“Kohaku-chan texted that she was going to catch up on some sleep before her test today and that Ruri-chan was studying at the library with Chrome-chan. I think Tsukasa-chan has a match today, too. What about the others?” Gen said this in between sips of his soda, looking up at Senku from the sheets of paper in front of him.

“Kinro always has a class today, Ginro’s consulting a professor, and Yuzuriha and Taiju wanted to try some new frozen yogurt place.”

“What a great wingman you are, Senku-chan.”

“Actually, I just didn’t feel like making the trip. But I guess letting them go on a date is a bonus.” The word _date_ echoed in Senku’s head. _Wait, if everyone else is gone, doesn’t that make this…_

“Busy day today, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

Senku felt the familiar pang of nervousness as his stomach sank. _Why is that here again? I thought I was making progress!_

He stood up. “I’ll go get some food.”

Gen handed him his empty soda cup, “could you get me a refill?”

“No problem.”

Senku looked over from his place in the line at Gen, who was still staring at the papers in front of him, pencil in hand. _Even Gen is busy today. Am I just bothering him? Should I just leave and let him study in peace?_

He came back to the table with fries and a refilled soda cup. He opened his mouth to say something, but Gen cut him off.

“Thanks, Senku-chan. I’m sorry I’m not the best company right now, but is it alright if you stay with me until you have to leave?”

He didn’t have to ask twice. “Sure. What are you doing, anyway?”

Gen sighed. “This _impossible_ math homework. Why do I even need to learn math when I'm a psych major?”

“Math is a general subject, mentalist. All courses have that.”

Gen groaned and laid his head sideways on the table. “I knoooow, but why does _mine_ have to?”

“Come on, the math classes you take are supposed to be the easier ones. Look, this is just basic algebra. Don’t tell me you haven’t learned this in high school?”

“We all have our weaknesses, don’t we? Math just happens to be one of mine. Otherwise, what would I need a manager for?”

Senku moved to the chair adjacent to Gen’s so that he’d be able to see the worksheets better. They went over the first problem, then the second, then the third. When Senku let Gen try to solve one on his own, Gen groaned out of mental exhaustion and rested his head on the table, head facing Senku. Gen’s knee rested against Senku’s, who startled from the contact.

“Senku-chan, I don’t understand this at all! Could you pleeeease help me? I really don’t want to have to take this class again!”

Senku shook his head and sighed. “Alright, alright.”

Once in a while, Gen would ask Senku about things unrelated to the math work. Senku ended up talking about his childhood, his friends, and his dad until he remembered that they were supposed to be doing the worksheets. Gen sulked.

“What a shame, I wanted to know more about the adventures of little Senku-chan. How smart do you have to be to have created all those complicated contraptions as a kid?”

“I wouldn’t consider myself especially smart. I was just curious.”

“How humble of you, Senku-chan~”

“Stop procrastinating, mentalist. Find x and y.” 

Despite his best efforts to get them to stay on track, Senku realized he had only been talking about himself and he wanted to learn something about Gen.

“Um, so, what about you? What’s it like doing all those shows?”

“Are you interested in my life, Senku-chan? How flattering!”

“I just don't want to keep talking about myself.”

“How thoughtful,” Gen looked away and thought for a bit while Senku stared at him intently. “I don’t want to complain. I mean, I’m really lucky considering everything, right? It’s exhilarating, I get to go to new places and meet new people every week. I love what I do, but… it gets tiring sometimes, you know? The good comes with the bad, sometimes I get harassed, some days I get too exhausted to even move, and a lot of the time I feel exploited.”

Gen picked up a strand of his white hair and twirled it around his finger. “Look, my hair’s even graying from the stress!”

“Are you serious? I thought it was dyed.”

“Right? It doesn’t look like the kind of thing that occurs naturally.” Gen chuckled and put his arms down on the table and sighed. “College is torture, but mostly, it’s a blessing. It’s so nice to be able to feel normal. Well, aside from the stares. You have no idea how hard it is, eight shows a week, the dating ban, all the maintenance…”

Senku stopped listening. _Dating ban?_

“Dating ban?”

Gen turned and looked at him. “Hm? Oh, didn’t you know? A lot of public figures aren’t allowed to date. Luckily my manager isn’t that much of a prick and all I have to do is keep any partners I might have a secret from the public. But I haven’t actually been dating because of it, out of convenience. It’s just so hard to have a half-baked relationship with anyone with all the rules I have to follow, so why even bother, right? Why? Do you find that hard to believe or something?”

Senku realized he had been staring and that Gen was looking at him, waiting for Senku to say something.

“I just thought you…since you’re…” Senku sputtered, but couldn’t get the words out. He was about to say, _because you look like that_ but decided against laying his heart bare. Luckily, Gen only laughed.

“You thought I was some kind of womanizing playboy, didn’t you? I’m not this flirty with everyone, Senku-chan. And I wouldn’t put my reputation at risk to sleep around.”

Senku blushed from the tips of his ears to his neck. _I’m not this flirty with everyone, Senku-chan._ What’s that supposed to mean?

Senku cleared his throat. “Come on, let’s get this over with.”

They kept working until they had finished all of Gen’s homework with five minutes to spare before Senku’s next class.

“Thank you for your help, Senku-chan! It would’ve sucked to get help with this homework on such short notice,” Gen flashed him a sweet smile.

“Don’t mention it. Just don’t forget to double-check your answers. You’re in college now, for crying out loud…”

Something about how terrible Gen was at math was suspicious. Senku was thinking about how hard it is to believe that someone as smart as Gen would have a difficult time with problems as easy as these...

“I think thanking you is necessary, not everyone would spend two and a half hours out of their break to help someone with their homework.”

Senku paused as realization hit him. He looked at Gen with a mixture of amazement and irritation.

“Did you just trick me into tutoring you?”

“A mentalist never reveals their secrets, Senku-chan~”

Senku thought for a bit. “No, if you were really trying to trick me you wouldn’t be this open about it. You were trying to give me hints that you were keeping me here on purpose, weren’t you? Why?”

Gen looked down at his work, then back up at Senku with the softest smile he had ever seen.

“Maybe I just wanted to spend time with you.”  
  


Senku blinked and blushed even harder than before. He felt his brain short-circuit and fixated on a different word each time Gen’s admission echoed in his mind.

_What does he mean? What does that even mean?_

Gen just laughed and picked up his fifth soda cup refill, half-unfinished. He got up from his seat and walked towards the door.

“You’ll be late. See you around.”  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just started season 2 the other day and I'm so excited for more sengen moments. alsooooo i really do think that gen isn't the playboy/fuckboy ppl make him out to be (just my personal headcannon!) cos while he did mention wanting a harem once i dont think he's actually the type to wanna sleep around with people he doesn't care about...........plus i don't think he'd put his reputation at risk by sleeping around. but we wont really know until we get his backstory LMAO can dr stone jus give him a backstory already pls .


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